Experimental investigation of air cooling systems for electronic equipment by using vortex promoters

Electronic systems these days are getting more powerful and processing speeds are increasing, resulting in increasing heat inputs to the systems. In order to keep up with these speeds, different cooling techniques must be considered. The present study consists of three parts. In the first part, we consider the flow due to a vortex promoter only. The periodic or chaotic behavior in the wake behind the promoter could be beneficial to the heat transfer rate. By analyzing different sizes and shapes, it can determine which vortex promoter offers the best turbulence and at which frequency it occurs. In the second part of the study, the flow over a plate with isolated heat sources only is considered. From here, a base case of just plate flow being perturbed can be achieved. By analyzing the heat transfer rate and the heat transfer coefficient, an understanding on why the larger the separation width between the two heaters, the higher the heat transfer rate can be seen. In the last part of the study, tests are done for the combination of the vortex promoter and the plate. Here, the effects on the heat transfer rate and the heat transfer coefficient are seen by placing a vortex promoter in front of the plate. Comparisons for the same sizes and shapes used in the first part, along with different heater and plate separations are performed here. From these tests, an optimal promoter is chosen and the distance from the heat sources the promoter has to be, in order to achieve the maximum heat transfer rate and heat transfer coefficient is determined.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-111)